Hope Cambodia - Day 5
Sunday, August 5, 2007

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On this day, we started with our morning devotionals, then four small groups went out to area churches to speak.  While that was going on, many of us went with Heartland church to a feeding program they do in a small village outside of Kampong Cham.  It was really something.  Later that day we went to the Heartland church service while another group went to the festival grounds to clean it for the upcoming festival.  
 
   
 A statue in a roundabout in Kampong Cham.
 		 Friendly kids we saw on the road to the feeding program.
Brick houses were very rare, and they even have a TV antenna.
   
 More friendly kids (and a chicken) seen on our way.  A view of the "kitchen" area of the feeding area.
   
 Andrew Cook - Heartland is both his brainchild and heart.  
 Evangelist Chun is walking just behind Andrew.		 Some of the kids from the village.  Many had t-shirts
with English phrases on them, probably made in the area.
    
 This children were just beautiful. Malika, entertaining some of the kids with bubbles.
   
 A lady shredding mushroom things for the soup. Misty, handing out stickers.  This was extremely popular.
I did it for awhile but it freaked me out. 
   
   
   
 Channa and his beautiful daughter Ballina  The bubbles were a huge hit with the kids.
   
   
 Cute village kids...  and a cute Heartland kid.  This is Shoun, son of Pastor Eliah.
   

The kids are all gathered for a puppet show.
 Eric and Andrew discuss the weighty matters of the world.
 		  
 

While the kids were being entertained, we got to sit down for a visit with the ladies of the community.
It was very emotional as they told about their battles with AIDS, near-starving levels of poverty, and
other amazing challenges that they deal with regularly.

 

Here Jessica lets the kids  
pick out their own stickers  
in a rare moment of calm.  
   
   
 This is just one reason why we made the kids
 wash their hands before the feeding started!		 Here Bethany, Kelly, and I get to help prepare 
the dishes before they are set out for the kids.
   
 The bowls - all neatly arranged and ready for the hungry kids.  The kids, being lined up to wash their hands and get started enjoying some soup.
   

The feeding program in full swing.
   Yum!  It smelled great and the offered us some,
 but none of us were brave enough to try it.
   
 I did not take this picture, but I think it is worthy of an award. One of the sweet ladies who told her story to us earlier.
   
 Here's another great shot that I did not take. I loved how the kids went over to share their leftovers with the dogs.
   
   
This was the big vat of soup we served from.  I got to go around giving
seconds.  Chom was across from me in this picture doing the same.		  I love the look on these girls' faces - it must be the first time they
 have ever seen a bubble.
   
 Kids are kids are kids. Lin, giving the kids a challenge on the teeter totter.
   

 Adorable girls.                         

 
   
A lady and her baby taking a break in the shade. Autumn going bubble-crazy.
   
 Driver and new friend Sarat, not quite as prolific with the
 bubbles as Autumn, but giving it a good try.		 Jit, Eliah, and Andrew - one of the last pictures of them in Kampong
Cham as Jit & Eliah moved back to their home in Thailand later that week.
  


Some of the gang.  Jessica is turning Cambodian 
on us with those silly hand signals.

  

 We took a different road away from there to see a site where they are going to build a future building for Heartland.
These are some of the sights we saw on the way.

 
   

One of our drivers shows off some edible seeds, then offers some to whoever 
is brave enough to try it.  I tried some things that people randomly handed 
to us, but I didn't try this particular thing.

 
 The road was very muddy - it was amazing we didn't 
 get stuck.  We slid everywhere.  These kids came out 
 to see who was crazy enough to drive nice vans here!		  
   

Andrew tells us of the plans for the site, then Malika said a great prayer
for blessings over the whole area and their future plans.  Heartland has a
great ministry going on.
   A roadside stand full of snacks of every strange thing.
   
We saw several glass cases of beautiful dresses
like this.  I wonder where they wear them?  

 

 This was a very favorite location while we were in Kampong Cham.  It
was the only place we could get anything resembling American food.
Each time we were heading to the hotel the whining would start, "Would
you please take us to the Star Mart?!"  Our van drivers were so patient with us!

 
 

A big group of us went to the festival grounds to do 
clean-up duty.  While there, Sam found this that they
think is an unexploded mortar.  

This is the dialogue that was reported to have been said 
between Pastor David and Sam:  PD asked if it was an 
explosive, Sam answered that he thought so.  PD replied, 
"Well get away from it then!!"   

  

Here we are on the front porch of the building where Heartland has services.

 
   

 The team getting ready for praise and worship.

 
   
Here's a picture of the whole
Heartland staff that I got from
their site.
   
 

Next it was time to head to the festival grounds for our last night.
It was very rainy all evening but that didn't hold back the crowds!

 

 Here Kelly tries to get Chom to take this strange snack thing that she won in a carnival game.
Poor Chom had an upset stomach at the time, but he would do anything for Kelly so he ate it.

 
   

We were very early so we tried our hands at the carnival games.
Terry and Eric did well.

 
   

 I however, did not.  I managed to miss with all three of my darts.  But didn't I have great form?!

 
   
 Stephanie & John Jaime, not pleased with me for taking this picture.
   
 This sweet girl hung out with us all evening. Our trusty guide Ron, he made the whole trip go smoothly.
Here he is laughing with Sam & Andrew.
   

Pastor David & Chenna doing a great story
(with help) of David & Goliath.  The crowd
really loved it.
 Here we are being interviewed for Joyce Meyer's TV show.
 No guarantees, but we may just make it on air.  Tune in
 December 3 - 7th to find out!		  
   

A jumbo-tron shot of the action.
   A shot of Sam & Jason acting out the story.
   
 Here we are, watching intently. I loved her t-shirt.  It says, "I love Jesus - and French Fries"
   
And back to the music - this time they did an even longer set of 
joint Khmai/English songs.  Thank God for Hillsong - they wrote the
songs that were our common language that everyone knew.		 This was a guy Eric made friends with during the festival.

  
   

Josiah made a friend too.
   
   
 The gang dancing with some local kids backstage as
 they wait to go on again.		 The crowd - they ate it up with a spoon. Many people actually begged 
us to keep going when it ended.
   
 Madness on stage during the last song. There was a little madness down front of the stage as well.
   
 Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na.... Group shot of the New Life / Harvest / Victory worship team.
 Chun & me, happy and tired at the end of the festival. Crazy dancin' down front.
   

Josiah & our translators doing some type of dance.
 Group shot of our new friends.
   

Allison enlisted the help of a   
translator to find a safe ride   
home for this little girl.  We   
had seen some scary people   
in the area and didn't want to   
leave her to get home on her own.  
   
   

 The after-party - back in our usual spot.
We were so excited that night, when we finally calmed down we all just crashed.

 
   
   
   
   

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